DHARMAPURI  WEDNESDAY  MAY 31, 2023  `9.00  PAGES 12  CITY EDITION AFTER JIO-BP, NAYARA ENERGY SELLS PETROL, DIESEL AT `1 LESS THAN PSUS While OMCs continue to hold prices despite a drop in international rates, private fuel retailers have started passing on the benefit to consumers DISCOUNT OFFER TO CONTINUE TILL END OF JUNE RUSSIA’S ROSNEFT IS A MAJOR SHAREHOLDER “To further stimulate domestic consumption and cater to local customers better, we have introduced a `1 discount in our retail outlets until the end of June 2023,” said a spokesperson for Nayara Energy, which owns 7% of India’s 86,925 petrol pumps. Earlier this month, Jio-bp started selling superior grade diesel at `1 cheaper than regular grade diesel sold by state-owned outlets both diesel and petrol at rates below state-owned firms ■ IOC, BPCL and HPCL had frozen retail prices when international oil prices climbed in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year ■ Russian firm Rosneft is Nayara’s single-largest shareholder with 49% stake ■ While Jio-bp has priced only diesel less than that of PSUs, Nayara is selling $75.30/barrel GLOBAL OIL BENCHMARK BRENT CRUDE PRICE DECLINED BY 2.3% ON TUESDAY CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOGGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Fake `500 notes up 14% in FY23, says RBI report E X P R E SS N E WS S E R V I C E @ Mumbai THERE may be more fake `500 notes in circulation than 2,000 denomination notes, according to the Reserve Bank of India’s latest annual report released on Tuesday . The volume of counterfeit `500 notes swelled a disturbing 14% in 2022-23 to 91,110 pieces compared 79,669 pieces detected in the previous year, the RBI report said. In contrast, the number of fake `2,000 notes — which is in the process of being withdrawn from circulation — declined from 13,604 pieces to 9,806 during the same period. “Compared to the previous year, there was an increase of 8.4% and 14.4% in the counterfeit notes detected in the denominations of `20 and `500 (new design), respectively. The counterfeit notes detected in the denominations of `10, `100, and `2,000 declined by 11.6%,” it said. Taken together, the number of fake notes in all denominations witnessed a marginal decline of 2% in FY23. The total number of fake Indian currency notes detected in the banking sector fell to 2,25,769 pieces in 2022-23 from 2,30,971 pieces in 2021-22. Medal point to put police on the mat Wrestlers put off decision to drop medals in the Ganga NARENDRA SETHI AND UJWAL J A L A L I @ Haridwar/New Delhi INDIA’S top wrestlers on Tuesday raised the pitch of their ongoing protest up a notch — against the delay in arresting sidelined Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh — by threatening to let their hard-earned medals wash away in the Ganga but put it off by five days to give the police time to act. The five-day deadline for Singh’s arrest came after the intervention of farmer leader Naresh Tikait. Rough police action to evict them from the Jantar Mantar protest site on Sunday also weighed on their minds as they reached Haridwar with their medals on Tuesday evening. Earlier in the day, the grapplers had announced their intention to sit on an indefinite hunger strike at India Gate in Delhi after returning from Haridwar. However, sources in the Delhi Police told this newspaper they would not allow any demonstration at India Gate as it is a national monument. At Har Ki Pauri in Haridwar, top wrestlers like Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, Sangeeta Phogat and Sakshi Malik said, “When the government is not ready to take action against the Singh, who is also a BJP MP, what is the use of these medals we won for the country?” After taking a seat by the riverbank, clutching their medals, the grapplers broke down in tears as their numerous supporters formed a protective circle. Singh is facing grave charges of sexual harassment of grapplers, including that of a minor. He is yet to be arrested. Protesting wrestlers at Har ki Pauri in Haridwar | P11 | PTI These hardearned medals are our lives, our soul. We will have no reason to live after throwing them into the Ganga Statement issued by wrestlers On Day 2 in Manipur, Shah meets Meitei and Kuki groups P R A SA N TA M A Z U M DA R @ Guwahati HOME Minister Amit Shah, who is on a four-day visit to violence-hit Manipur, on Tuesday held a series of meetings with Meitei and Kuki groups to restore peace and normalcy in the state. Soon after landing on Monday night, Shah got down to business by chairing a high-level meeting of state ministers and officials. One of the first decisions was to grant `10 lakh ex gratia to the kin on those killed in the clashes and a government job to one of the family members. Shah began his second day in Manipur by meeting a group of Meitei women leaders, followed by subsequent meetings with civil society groups, intellectuals and student unions. Later, he visited the hill district of Churachandpur and held similar meetings with leaders from the Kuki community . Ginza Vualzong, leader of Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum, said they demanded ‘total separation’ from Manipur and the imposition of President’s rule as the law and order in the state has collapsed. During the meeting, Shah sought 15 days’ time to set up committees that will work towards restoration of peace, he added. Meanwhile, the Meitei leaders demanded appropriate measures for the protection of Manipur’s territorial and administrative integrity and immediate abrogation of the Suspension of Operation agreement with Kuki insurgent groups allegedly involved in violence. Later in the evening, Shah, along with Chief Minister N Biren Singh, held a security review meeting with senior officials. He also held an allparty meeting in Imphal. On Wednesday Shah will visit Moreh and Kang, pokpi areas of Manipur. EXPRESS READ Omron plans TN unit at an outlay of `128cr Chennai: Guidance Tamil Nadu and Omron Healthcare signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Tokyo in the presence of Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday for setting up an unit with an investment of `128 crore at Mahindra Origins Park in Tiruvallur district | P4 50 PUDUKKOTTAI DENTALSEATS MORE BDS COLLEGE AT The seats to be added for the academic year 2023-24 will take the total number of BDS seats in Tamil Nadu government colleges to 250 | P2